Anza-Borrego Workshop Update

Ron NiebruggeAnza-Borrego, California, Photos 3 Comments

Last Spring, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

Last Spring, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, California.

I was somewhat encouraged this fall when I saw just how green  much of the desert southwest was including the Anza-Borrego region.  On my favorite running trail in Coyote Canyon I noticed that there were already some nice patches of wildflowers and that was in mid November!  But, I didn’t want to get too excited – I know, that along with October rain, you need December / January rains along with a bunch of other factors, some understood, and some not, in order to have a great wildflower year.

Well, Anza-Borrego has received a ton of rain recently – over 2 inches in one storm before Christmas, a tad more after Christmas and even a little bit more in January.  Last year was also wet, but unusually cold weather stunted and delayed the annual wildflower show.  With a La Nina condition this year, unseasonably warm weather might also be a risk, but I am guarded optimistic.  That said, we have the making of what could potentially be a really good year in Anza-Borrego!

I mention this in part to say, hey, you might want to consider my Anza-Borrego photography workshop.  I will be arriving in the area in early February, and will have the best locations well scouted out by the time the workshops roll around, and we already have people signed up for both weekends.  Considering last year both sold out – so you might want to consider a weekend workshop.

3D Video

Ron NiebruggeCalifornia, Las Vegas, Nevada, Travel 10 Comments

I have been quietly working away for the past year at learning what I believe could be a new business opportunity – 3D Video.  With the likes of ESPN and Discovery coming out with 3D channels this year, I think there could be a fair amount of demand for such material.  The new methods for viewing 3D video have come a long ways since the days of the red / cyan glasses.

Well, I was able to go about it quietly in Alaska last spring and summer, but not so much on this trip last fall.  I like to blend in while I do travel photography, but my elaborate setup of multiple cameras seemed to draw a lot of attention.  People would ask questions and even take photos of me at work, it was not how I like to work.

Now you need red / cyan glasses to view the attached video, and even at that, it isn’t all that good.  You see the red / cyan does not allow for as much 3D effect as the new methods, and works terrible on red colored subjects or contrasty night scenes, like many in this video.  But for many people this might be the only way to see it – and I’m guessing most people don’t even have those types of glasses.

Fortunately, as of yesterday Nvidia has decided to include my video on their 3D Video Live website!  So, if you have a 3D monitor or TV that uses the Nvidia active 3D glasses, you can view the video in full color and 3D!  Right now my video is at the top of page two here:  3D Vision Live The thumbnail for that video is of the Golden Gate Bridge and is labeled Wild Nature Images.

To read a bit more you can check out our page for 3D HD Video.

As far as the process goes, I can say it has involved a lot of time and some expensive software and hardware and a bit of a proprietary process that I won’t get into now, but maybe in the future.

Favorite Photos from 2010

Ron NiebruggePhotos, Travel 38 Comments

Well for the third year in a row I thought I would post my 10 favorite photos of the year. I rarely spend much time looking back, so it is kind of fun to take pause and look back on the past year.  I’m always surprised as to how many amazing places and wonderful sights we are blessed to see each year!

I actually owe photographer Jim Goldstein for this idea.  As a side note, Jim is a former Alaskan who I have known through telephone conversations and on-line interactions for many years – I finally had the pleasure to meet him in person this past fall in San Francisco.

So, without further a due, here are my favorites from the year and why:

Kayaking in Bear Glacier Lagoon

Kayaking in Bear Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.

Kayaking in Bear Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward, Alaska.

To appreciate the size of this iceberg and to get a feel for what an amazing place this is, click on the thumbnail and check out the kayaker.  This was probably the most exciting experience of the year, and to think, this amazing place is less the 20 miles from our house.  I will definitely be returning to this area in 2011, but this year we will be spending the night – and maybe a couple.

Bull Moose in Front of Mt. McKinley

Two large bull moose in front of Mt. Mc Kinley, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Two large bull moose in front of Mt. Mc Kinley, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Just seeing “The Mountain” (Mt. McKinley) is a treat, as is seeing a huge bull moose.  To get both at the same time was a dream come true!

Valley of Fire

Wave formation, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

Wave formation, Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada.

This was an exciting discovery in one of my favorite State Parks.  Valley of the Fire is another place I would like to spend a lot more time exploring.

Wild Lynx in Denali

Wild lynx, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Wild lynx, Denali National Park, Alaska.

Hey, any time I get a photo of such a rare and elusive animal, it is going to make my list.  This year I was lucky enough to get a few!  With the snowshoe hare population crashing last year, if history is any indicator, the lynx population should be following suit and it may be years before such rare animals are spotted much again.  It has been such a treat to catch an occasional glimpse and photo of these guys – even in peak years, they are very hard to find.

Peak a Boo Bear Cub

Spring bear cub, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

Spring bear cub, Lake Clark National Park, Alaska.

I posted a variation to this cute little guy here on the photo blog last summer.  On that one, his paw covered both eyes and it looked like he was fighting a headache, or trying to deal with the stresses of life.  This version is a little “cuter” as it looks like he is kind of peaking out from behind his hand.  I’m really excited about spending a week with these bears next summer!

Las Vegas City Center

Tram at the City Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tram at the City Center, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Well I do a fair amount of travel photography, so I had to have photos of the 11 billion dollar (that is right, billion with a b!) City Center once it was completed.  Since we did seem to spend a fair amount of time in that area, I had to pick one of those photos – this one is my favorite – it looks kinda futuristic.

Arizona Wildflowers

Wildflowers, Tonto National Forest, not far from Phoenix, Arizona.

Wildflowers, Tonto National Forest, not far from Phoenix, Arizona.

Last year was a wonderful year for desert wildflowers, especially in Arizona.  We spent 6 weeks chasing them, so I definitely wanted to include one on this list, but had a very tough time choosing just one.

Winter Wonderland

Snowy trees, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

Snowy trees, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I captured this one just last week on Christmas day.  I’m glad I did because we now have had a few days of temperatures in the 40’s and rain which has pretty much put a dent in all our beautiful snow.

Homeless in San Francisco

A homeless man sleeps in front of a photo of a glamorous model, San Francisco, California.

A homeless man sleeps in front of a photo of a glamorous model, San Francisco, California.

I was able to capture a fair number of nice image of the San Francisco area that are likely fairly marketable.  This one probably has little value as a stock photo, but it is my favorite from San Francisco.

Lightning Storm

Lightning, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Lightning, Las Vegas, Nevada.

This lightning storm was some sight to see, and a real treat for me as we rarely see lightning on the coast here in Alaska.  I kind of wished I had been in a more interesting place then a RV Park, but it was still cool.

Honorable Mentions

Some honorable mentions.  These is no reason I shouldn’t be able to narrow this list down to 10 – but, photographers are usually poor editors, and I know I am.  So here are a few others that I just couldn’t keep out!

Seward

A few other Seward, Alaska photos I considered:

Moon over Resurrection River, Seward, Alaska.

Moon over Resurrection River, Seward, Alaska.

This was going to be my winter photo for the top 10 list – that was until my winter images from last week.

Horseback riding, Seward, Alaska.

Horseback riding, Seward, Alaska.

Desert Wildflowers

A few more Arizona wildflowers that almost made the list:

Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona.

Sabino Canyon, Tucson, Arizona.

Tonto National Forest, Arizona.

Tonto National Forest, Arizona.

Bartlett Lake, Arizona.

Bartlett Lake, Arizona.

Black Hills, Arizona.

Black Hills, Arizona.

Wild Wolf In Denali

Wild wolf in Denali National Park, Alaska.
Wild wolf in Denali National Park, Alaska.

I had a lot of success with wild wolves in Denali this summer including a multi day stretch with cool wolf encounters every day – that is an amazing treat!

OK, that is it!  Sorry to my other wolf, whale, landscape and San Francisco photos, I’m drawing the line. 🙂

Winter Wonderland

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel 11 Comments

Christmas morning on the Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

Kenai Peninsula, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

Here is another photo from Christmas morning.  This was about 10 minutes earlier then the one I  posted here on Monday.  The trees you see near the top of the little hill are the same ones in the foreground in Monday’s winter photo.

Christmas Morning

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel 25 Comments

Snowy trees, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

Snowy trees, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I headed out the door a couple of hours before sunrise on Christmas morning – at 8:00 a.m. to be accurate.  These winter hours are kind of nice.  I drove 23 miles down the Seward Highway before I even saw another car!  All the pull outs and trail heads were empty – it was like I had Alaska all to myself for a couple of hours.  This spot was about a mile and a half walk in snowshoes – I forget how slow the going is in powder snow, and almost didn’t get here in time for first light.  It was a beautiful morning.  The temperature was a little below zero, and even after 2 hours of hiking and photographing, the battery on my Canon 5D II still had a strong charge.  That was impressive – at those temps, I would have needed to change batteries at least once with my previous camera.

This was a single exposure with my 24-105 lens at 105.  I was at f/14 for 1/5 of a second with an ISO of 400.  I was in an area of deep shade, but the rising sun was just beginning to glow on the distant mountains giving them a cool pastel glow.

Lunar Eclipse

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 12 Comments

Lunar eclipse from last night, Seward, Alaska.

Lunar eclipse from last night, Seward, Alaska.

Not the most creative photo, but I couldn’t resist photographing the moon last night.  This was a lot of focal length – a 600 plus 2x converter on a Canon 7D – so the 35mm equivalent of 1920 mm.